Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland
Pastor: Colin Maxwell. Email: colin.maxwell@fpcmission.org
mp3 recording here
JAMES 3:1-18 TEXT: v6 [SINS OF THE TONGUE]
And the tongue is a fire,
a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it
defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and
it is set on fire of hell.
Òur passage here is the key passage on the subject of the tongue
Certainly, we have many references (particuarly in Proverbs) to
individual sins of the tongues, but for the subject as a whole, we must
at least start here in James and keep coming back to it
Our text clearly speaks about the sins which the tongue can commit
The language is pretty strong about it:
A fire - a world of iniquity - defiles the whole body - set on fire of hell
So this is no small matter - James is not being pinickety
Sometimes you get preachers and they're not happy unless they're picking at something/some one
Often they are swallowing camels while they strain at gnats
James is not like that - he is dealing here with the very serious sins that flow from the tongue, even of professing believers
Why are such sins so serious, warranting such condemnation?
[i] EASILY EXECUTED - anyone can do it
Tongue cannot be tamed - might be able to tame it sometimes, but not
all the time and sadly often when we need to have it tamed, we let fly
[ii] THE SIN CAN BARELY BE UNDONE: Seldom is its wrong righted entirely
100%, even after the most sincere apologies and efforts to undo the
damage - the record is there and cannot be changed
True: Such sin can be forgiven, but not forgotten by men
[iii] SINS/TONGUE CAN BE CLOTHED IN THE MOST ELEOQUENT OF LANGUAGE:
The devil may have the language of the angel
Eloquence can blind the eyes and seduce the heart where straight and honest talking may fail
The Devil used this black art of the seducer in Eden (Genesis 3:5)
[iv] SPREAD FAR AND WIDE:
For many centuries, those who wanted to spread news had to rely upon
word of mouth, but it was effective, often for good, but also for bad
[v] LIABLE TO REPEATED AND EXAGGERATED:
Already commented on the ease with which the tongue can sin
Same ease can repeat the sin and add colour to it
This is why James said earlier that we should be slow to speak (1:17)
[vi] SINS/TONGUE CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO OTHER SINS:
Hence the reference to the match (v5) The tongue can defile the whole
body, because it moves the eyes, the hands, the feet etc., to go and do what has been discussed/urged
That is why even in a country which believes in free speech, there are
so many laws governing the use/tongue - a little member - a great fire
The tongue in itself is just an organ of the mouth - it stands in this
passage for the things which it says i.e. the words it speaks
We must examine some of the sins attributed to/flowing from the worng use of the tongue:
1) ONE SIN WE ARE ALL APT TO FALL INTO WITH THE TONGUE: SELF PRAISE/BOASTING:
A/ Is such a sin? It is one thing to set out your stall in a spirit of
truth coupled with meekness and humilty, it is another to be full of
ourselves
There is a false humility that refuses to speak about itself, but by
doing so, draws attention to itself which it actually enjoys/glories in
That is probably the worst form of pride - the wolf in sheep's clothing
B/ It is a sin to praise yourself if it is in the spirit of self advancement
Obviously a qualified person must give their credentials when looking
for a job - must even argue why they are the best man for the job
That can be done without violating the Bible if done with the right
spirit The dividing line between right/wrong here is the spirit/motive
C/ The sin begins when we seek to advance ourselves for our own glory
Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. (Proverbs 27:2)
A good text for the Pharisee/temple (Luke 18:10-12)
A classic passage in relation to this thought is in 2 Corinthians 11
where Paul was forced to authenticate his claim/Apostleship
Hour was dark - false teachers had infiltrated the Corinthian congregation and its spiritual existence was under severe threat
Yet, although Paul recounted his exploits for God, he made it clear that he did so very reluctantly: " I speak as a fool"
You can never read Paul's writings and think of him oozing with pride
D/ Such glorying in self/boasting (v5) and self praise etc., is a great sin because:
It robs God of all the glory, glory which He will not share
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. (Psalm 115:1)
Why should God share His glory with anyone (not least a boaster?)
For who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou
didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received
it? (1 Corinthians 4:7)
James affords us a good example/humility: With all his pedigree (brother/Jesus Christ) his introduction (1:1) makes no reference
2) ANOTHER SIN WE ARE APT TO FALL INTO: FLATTERY:
A/ Similar to self praise, but involves the baseless praise of another
There is a warranted praise of others: Proverbs 29:2 (Already quoted)
And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; (2 Corinthians 8:18)
Here is one who was obviously well thought of and worthy of note
Evidently they praised God for this man and through his man (Fine)
They did not praise this man instead of God (Unacceptable)
Certainly wasn't flattery - Paul does not identify him by name
B/ Flattery is a very dangerous sin in the church of Jesus Christ
[i] Usually given on a pro quid pro understanding - Advance speaker
[ii] Leads to pride (a most dangerous weed) in the one flattered
Can lead to him being of no further use to the work/God
Especially true/young Christian: 1 Timothy 3:6
[iii] It discourages the lesser mortals rather than causing them to
aspire to godliness: Flattery: Satan's counterfeit of wholesome praise
[iv] It scandalises the church when it is seen to be so untrue
The harder the fall when it is from a greater height
[v] Above all else (as indicated already) It robs God/glory
C/ What was it but flattery/highest degree in Acts 12:2-23 when the men/Tyre flattered the already proud Herod:
"It is the voice of a god, and not of a man…smote…because he gave not God the glory."
We need to avoid these dark sins that can blight the church/Christ
James devotes a whole chapter to it in a letter to Christians
3) ANOTHER SIN WE ARE APT TO FALL INTO: SLANDER/LIES:
A/ How dark does this sin appear! If ever a vicious viper slithers in
among the people/God and the poison/asps is under their lips, it is here
This is why the Bible is so strong against such activity wherever found:
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool. (Proverbs 10:18)
A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish. (Proverbs 19:9)
…all liars, shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the
second death. (Revelation 21:8)
B/ There is a difference between an honest mistake/error and a lie
Although, we should never repeat something (particularly destructive)
unltil we have checked the veracity of any report - 2/3 witnesses
To deliberately lie by adding/subtracting from the truth is abominable
Hence: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. (James 1:20)
If truth cannot stand on its own two feet and "needs" the lie, then
either its truthfulness is somewhat suspect or the time of its stating
has not yet fully time or its time/vindication has not fully come
But it will! Truth always floats to the top
Consider the life/Joseph - what a victim of lies he became
His own brethren - Potiphar's wife, yet he stood vindicated and the
rest were left to wrestle for years with their stained consciences
It may be that some will not be vindicated until the Day/Judgement
So be it! God's timing is the best timing and that which is longest waited for will prove to be the sweetest
C/ If we have a problem with a Christian brother/sister, then the Bible
has a procedure for us to use to sort it out to God's glory: Matthew 18
The idea of lying/slandering by the many varied arts that can be
employed: Exaggeration/understating/omission/insinuation etc.,
ought not to be employed among the people/God at any cost
D/ If it be that we have lied/slandered someone and that slander is
still doing its damaging work, then it is incumbent on us to get it
stopped immediately before more (and possibly fatal) damage is done
The Devil himself is the Father/Lies (John 8:44) That says it all!
4) ANOTHER SIN WE ARE APT TO FALL INTO: GOSSIP:
A/ Much gossip is simply the rehashing of and usually adding to lies
But it need not be so: Can still gossip even when speaking 100% truth
How can we tell the difference between gossip and repeating news?
Must examine our motives if we repeat something
Is it necessary? It is even helpful? Are we doing it to the greater glory/God?
Or do we have a sordid motive, based on a grudge etc.?
Can we do it in love? If not, then it cannot be done
Is it the fruit of faith that makes us repeat something? If not…don't
B/ Gossiping, by necessity, implicates others in its sins:
A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue. (Proverbs 17:4)
If the motive in repeating something is not pure…false/naughty
You are encouraging sins in others and must bear some responsibility
C/ What harm you are causing the victim of your gossip
David felt it keenly and brought it to the Lord : All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. (Psalm 41:7)
Again: A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. (Proverbs 16:28)
What good a chief freindship could do in so many ways (not least the church) and a whisperer see it smashed
D/ Needless to say: it grieves the Spirit/God -it can quench the
Spirit/God and blight the whole testimony of a particular congregation
Far better to put our tongues to greater use - the intended use
This will form the basis of our next message
THE END